Pep Guardiola celebrated his 1,000th game as a manager with a stunning 3-0 win over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, cutting Arsenal’s Premier League lead to four points.
Manchester City took control early, and halting Liverpool’s resurgence. Erling Haaland missed a penalty after Giorgi Mamardashvili fouled Jeremy Doku but made amends minutes later with a towering header from Matheus Nunes’ cross, his 28th goal of the season.
Haaland led the line well, supported by Doku, Phil Fode, and Bernardo Silva, while Gianluigi Donnarumma was solid in goal, denying Dominik Szoboszlai’s late effort.
Erling Haaland returned to scoring form with a decisive brace as Manchester City defeated Bournemouth 3-1 to reclaim second place in the Premier League and close the gap on leaders Arsenal to six points.
Pep Guardiola’s men were looking to bounce back after last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Aston Villa, a match that saw Haaland fail to score for only the second time this season.
The Norwegian responded emphatically, proving once again why he remains City’s most lethal weapon.
Early scare, swift response
Bournemouth thought they had the perfect start when teenager Eli Junior Kroupi found the net after just 44 seconds, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
City capitalised soon after, as Rayan Cherki’s clever header released Haaland, who calmly slotted past Djordje Petrovic in the 17th minute to make it 1-0.
The hosts’ lead was short-lived, though, as Tyler Adams pounced on a poor punch from Gianluigi Donnarumma to smash home an equaliser, his first goal in English football.
Haaland restores control
City’s dominance soon resurfaced. Cherki again combined brilliantly with Haaland, who rounded the goalkeeper and finished with composure for his 13th league goal of the campaign and 26th across all competitions.
The striker came close to a hat-trick before the break but was denied by Petrovic’s sharp save.
O’Reilly seals the win
After Kroupi forced Donnarumma into another stop, City struck the killer blow on the hour mark. Midfielder Nico O’Reilly surged forward and buried a low shot into the corner to seal an assured victory for Guardiola’s side.
The win puts Manchester City back on track after their stumble at Villa Park, while Bournemouth’s run hits a temporary setback despite another spirited performance.
Pep Guardiola has dismissed rumours linking Erling Haaland with a move to Barcelona, insisting the prolific striker is “not stupid enough” to consider leaving Manchester City after penning a 10-year contract extension.
Haaland, who has already scored 11 goals in eight games this season, recently committed his long-term future to the Premier League champions.
Reports in Spain had claimed Barcelona president Joan Laporta was targeting the 25-year-old as part of his re-election campaign, but Guardiola was quick to ridicule the speculation.
“He Isn’t stupid enough” – Guardiola
Speaking ahead of City’s weekend fixture, Guardiola said Haaland’s decision to stay reflected his ambition and intelligence.
“I think Erling isn’t stupid enough to sign something he doesn’t want to accomplish, that is for sure,” he said.
“But it’s football, who knows what will happen? Nobody knows. What I do know is that he has a long contract here, and he’s doing really well and scoring a lot of goals.”
The Spanish manager, who spent four years managing Barcelona, admitted he understood why his former club would be interested in a player of Haaland’s calibre.
“Every club dreams of Haaland”
Guardiola added that Laporta’s admiration for Haaland was only natural, given the Norwegian’s extraordinary impact.
“Can you tell me one club that wouldn’t dream of Erling Haaland?” he asked.
“I understand Barcelona dream of him, and so would every club in the world. If he weren’t with us, it would be a dream for Manchester City to have him.”
The 53-year-old praised Haaland’s integration into the team, crediting his teammates for creating the opportunities that allow him to shine.
Erling Haaland’s fine scoring run continued as Manchester City edged Brentford 1-0 to hand Pep Guardiola his 250th Premier League win.
Guardiola reaches landmark in record time
Guardiola became only the 16th manager to reach 250 wins with a single club, achieving the feat in just 349 matches, 74 games faster than any other manager in league history.
Haaland’s decisive strike and Rodri injury blow
Haaland sealed the win early, muscling past Sepp van den Berg to control Josko Gvardiol’s looping cross before calmly slotting beyond Caoimhin Kelleher.
The goal was his third this week and 18th in just 11 appearances for club and country this season.
City controlled proceedings but were forced to protect their narrow lead for over 80 minutes.
Their victory was dampened by concern for Rodri, who limped off after 21 minutes. The midfielder, still regaining full sharpness after last season’s ACL injury, faces another spell of uncertainty ahead of the international break.
Gabriel Martinelli struck a dramatic late equaliser to salvage a point for Arsenal in their 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Emirates.
The Brazilian forward’s delicate lob in stoppage time cancelled out Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute strike, denying Pep Guardiola’s side a statement away win in the Premier League.
Haaland strikes early
City made the perfect start when Haaland finished a sweeping move he had initiated, slotting past David Raya for his 13th goal of the season.
The Norwegian forward looked back to his devastating best, troubling Arsenal’s backline with his physical presence.
Mikel Arteta’s selection choices left Arsenal sluggish and lacking creativity in the first half, with Viktor Gyokeres ineffective up front and summer signing Mikel Merino caught out in midfield.
Guardiola, meanwhile, named the same starting XI for a third successive match, a first in four years.
Arsenal rally after changes
The introductions of Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze at half-time transformed Arsenal’s performance.
Saka’s delivery and Eze’s sharpness gave the hosts new momentum, with Martin Zubimendi and Eze both testing Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City, however, remained dangerous on the counter. Jeremy Doku set up Haaland for a one-on-one, only for Raya to deny him.
Guardiola then shut down the contest with defensive changes, reverting to a back five as time ticked away.
Martinelli delivers late drama
With City seemingly closing out the game, Arsenal found a breakthrough in stoppage time.
Eze’s lofted ball unlocked the defence, and Martinelli lifted a clever finish over Donnarumma, the first goal the Italian conceded in City colours.
Manchester City have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Real Madrid forward Rodrygo Goes, insist on keeping Savinho.
Pep Guardiola’s side had identified the 23-year-old as a potential replacement for Savinho, who was attracting strong interest from Tottenham.
However, Spurs’ reluctance to meet City’s valuation for Savinho has forced the Premier League champions to shut the door on his departure, and in turn, on Rodrygo’s possible arrival.
According to reports, City had been prepared to table a bid worth between €80m and €100m once Savinho’s exit was confirmed.
But with the winger now staying at the Etihad, Rodrygo’s prospects of joining City have collapsed.
Liverpool and Arsenal remain the other major contenders for the Madrid star, though both have conditions attached to a move.
Liverpool are monitoring Rodrygo as a fallback option should their pursuit of Alexander Isak fail, while Arsenal’s interest hinges on whether they can offload players and conclude a deal for Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze.
Rodrygo, who has been central to Real Madrid’s attack in recent seasons, may now be forced to weigh his options, especially after Madrid boss, Xabi Alonso waved off his transfer “noise”.
Manchester City opened their Premier League campaign with a dominant 4-0 win over Wolves, as debutants Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki made an immediate impact in Pep Guardiola’s new-look side.
Reijnders, signed in the summer to help fill the void left by Kevin De Bruyne’s move to Napoli, scored once and was instrumental in two other goals during an impressive first outing.
Cherki, introduced in the second half, sealed the win with a fine finish just eight minutes after coming on.
Erling Haaland continued his prolific form, netting twice, the opener after 34 minutes and City’s third early in the second half, to ensure there was no way back for Wolves.
The result provided Guardiola’s men with a bright start after last season’s struggles.
There was a moment of concern in stoppage time when Nico Gonzalez landed awkwardly, though he was able to continue after receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, Wolves supporters paid tribute throughout the game to former striker Diogo Jota, applauding and chanting his name.
Manchester City and Manchester United have been cleared by UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body, CFCB, to take part in European competition next season.
Both City and LaLiga side Girona qualified for the Champions League.
There were doubts over whether both teams will be allowed to play in the competition, as they are both part of the City Football Group.
United, meanwhile, earned a Europa League ticket by winning the FA Cup along with Nice. The Ligue 1 club is also under the control of Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group.
Two clubs under the same ownership being in one European competition creates a potential conflict with UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, and changes had to be made at board level for all four clubs to be admitted.
UEFA confirmed on Friday that there had been “significant changes made to the ownership, governance, and financial support of the concerned clubs” which would “substantially restrict the investors’ influence and decision-making power”.
The shares held in Girona and Nice have been transferred to independent trustees “through a blind trust structure established under the supervision of the CFCB”.
The measure applies for the 2024/2025 season, after which the shares will transfer back to City Football Group and INEOS.
English football powerhouse, Manchester City have emerged the winners of the 2023/2024 EPL title, becoming the first team in history to win it for a consecutive fourth time.
The Pep Guardiola-coached side scored the first goal within minute against West Ham through Foden who bagged a brace in the 18th minute.
West Ham’s Kudus gave a glimmer of hope in the second half with a well-taken goal before Rodri scored the third for Manchester City.
The team has become the first in EPL history to win the other for a fourth consecutive title.
The chances of Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland clinching this year’s Ballon d’Or award, are high, after his team won the Treble this season.
Pep Guardiola’s men defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul on Saturday night to lift the Champions League final trophy.
Last weekend, City saw off Manchester Untied 1-0 at Wembley to win the FA Cup.
They had overhauled Arsenal to clinch their third successive Premier League title, powered by Haaland’s 36 goals in 38 matches.
Haaland has now become the first outright Premier League Golden Boot winner to also win the Champions League final since Cristiano Ronaldo did it with Manchester United in 2007-08.
The Norway striker scored a total of 52 goals in his debut season in England. This makes him the top scorer across Europe’s top leagues.
Haaland will, however, have to contend with departing Paris Saint-Germain forward, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe for the Ballon d’Or prize.
